Red Geraniums
by Gypheous
Summary: Red flowers are generally associated with love and affection. But you know, geraniums have another meaning. In the language of flowers... Determination... These words were never truer, and Alex would fight to the death of her to prove them right.
1. Dancing Revolver

**Red Geraniums**

**Gyphie's Note:**

**Yo, wuttup dawg g's. Okay, I'm bad with slangwurds, so sue me! Okay, not really, I'm not worth much. -Frown face- At any rate, I have not tried to write a Trigun fan story in such a long time… and I finally picked up my Trigun manga after the longest time and was reminded why I love Yasuhiro Nightow. He is my favorite manga artist, because he's very detailed AND! … he created Vash the Stampede. -Heart- Just a wurds up to yo mothas, I'm using original book characters and meshing them with the manga-verse of Trigun. I only have up to book eight in the series though, due to shortage in el cash-o, but I'm hoping to get some more to buy the rest. Anwai, Alex is based off of me, but she is NOT me. She only acts as I do, has similarities (only I don't play bass/guitar like her). And her companion J represents the first letter of my RL name, 'cos it starts with a J… So this is NOT me, it is a character from my original trilogy that I based heavily off of myself (the only difference is her appearance/back story/talents/name/accent). Okidoke, after this ridiculously long… note… I'll let you el read-o my crap-o fanfic-o. Hah.**

**DISCLAIMER: All characters that are recognized by Trigun (I.e. Vash the Stampede, Nicholas D. Wolfwood, Legato Bluesummers, Rem Saberem, etc.) are not mine, they all belong to Yasuhiro Nightow and company. THEY IS AM NOT MYNZ!**

**Chapter One**

**Dancing Revolver**

She stood for a moment, only for a moment, before she collapsed onto the surface of the warm sand. It felt so good, pressed against her face which had become raw from crying, and her shaggy blue locks acted as a type of shade. No one noticed her, however, when she was swept up and tossed into luggage compartments of the next sand steamer, Mubra. Alexhandrya, or Alex as she was more commonly known as, lay and thought, about a lot of things. Not too long ago she had dealt with losing her fiancée, her unborn child, and watched the one responsible die. Once he was dead, she was merely a wandering, lost soul.

Everything seemed so peaceful, and she lay, unmoved, in the luggage compartment until gunshots sounded and she fell face-first from her perch. She wore a queer leather jacket that had the right sleeve ripped clean off and the right side of the collar propped up. A purple and black arm sock covered her right forearm, purple and black tights beneath her jeans. A hole was ripped over her right knee, another below her left knee. Holding her pants in place were crisscrossed black belts, and she wore a purple tank top belly shirt. On her feet were a pair of red chucks, her headphones laying next to her feet.

Alex opened her silver eyes, bright rays of sunlight setting off rainbow prisms in her eyes. She flexed her brown and green dragon wing (far too small to actually sustain flight), a few leaves that sprouted at the base of the wing rustling. In place of a right wing was nothing but a broken nub with a few gray feathers still clutching to it. A slightly curled, gray monkey tail lay over her leg, Alex twitching it slightly to make sure she was still able to feel everything.

The cry of a man caught her attention, Alex scrambling to hand and knee to see what was happening. She caught a glimpse of someone in red before something fell onto her head and caused her to fall over. Alex looked to see what hit her, spotting her little winged companion clinging to her bass guitar. The critter had bat wings and a bat head, smaller wings protruding from its head. Large, rabbit feet twitched, as the bass landed on the critter as well, a large whip-like tail thumping the floor. On the end of the tail was a small triangular piece of flesh, a large spike directly in the center.

"J thinks we are not in Kansas anymore, Frodo." The creature spoke in a child-like tone, the clawed fingers on the peaks of its wings still clutching the neck of the bass.

"A Wizard of Oz an' Lord of th' Rings reference in one sentence… you amaze me, J." Alex said to the little creature, its name being oddly enough J. Her voice was heavy with an English accent, but she sounded as if she fought with it to sound at least relatively normal.

"Who is that!? Who's there!?" A man shouted, Alex and J ducking into the luggage. The unrelenting silence which followed this question was deafening at best, Alex's head feeling a bit numb for a moment.

"I SAID, 'WHO'S THERE!?'" The man's voice seemed to be breaking beneath the pressure of the situation at hand, Alex figuring it would be best to reveal herself. Alex slowly picked herself up out of the luggage, spotting a man wielding a gun and jamming it into the face of another man. Another lay on the floor, his face bloodied from being hit continuously (clearly).

"Who and what the hell are you?" The man asked in a slightly calmer tone, being a bit taken aback by Alex's appearance.

"A-Alexhandrya. 'M a Dragonoid… an' this 'ere is my friend J." Alex picked up her friend, the Mierbluk blinking its four turquoise eyes as it examined its surroundings. It then examined the man in a red trench coat on the floor, his greenish-blue eyes widening slightly. He had spiked blond hair, for the most part, as a portion of it was black. He had a silver hoop earring in his left ear, this man seeming to be that one J had seen a picture of somewhere…

"What is that thing..?" The man stared at J, the Mierbluk squeaking.

"J is a Mierbluk!" J answered simply, smiling a fanged grin.

"J, shu' up, you're goin' t'get us killed!" Alex held her friend's mouth shut, the man lowering his weapon slightly.

"Please drop the gun, we're not 'ere to hurt you." Alex said, the man turning his head away and jamming the gun into the other man's face.

"This scum deserves to die! He ki-killed my daughter..!" Tears ran down the gunman's face, Alex releasing J. She stepped over the luggage carefully, holding her arms out towards the man to show she meant no harm to him.

"No matter wot others have done an' how badly they deserve t'die, no one has the right to determine whether or not someone lives. I've been in your situation, had someone's life clutched tightly in me hands, but I le' 'er go." Alex said, attempting to get the man to drop his weapon. She wasn't sure what exactly was happening, but she didn't feel safe with someone pointing a gun at someone else's head.

"How do you know my pain!? What have you lost!?" The man screamed, Alex's eyes fluttering away from his.

"I-I've lost… I've lost me--"

Alex was cut off as something hit the sand steamer, causing everyone to lose their balance. The gunman's weapon was sent clattering across the floor, the gunman hitting his head on the seat and being knocked unconscious. J shook itself free of the luggage that landed on it, the Mierbluk fluttering over to a window to see what had happened. It squeaked, Alex holding her throbbing head and looking to J. A loud roar sounded through the area, being a mix between a lion's battle cry and the call of desperation of a whale. It ended in an ear piercing shriek, the glass windows all cracking and shattering. Alex held her head in both hands and cried out in pain, the man in the red trench coat following suit.

"**KILL. KILL, KILL, KILL!**" A thunderous voice broke through the town, Alex gasping.

"Alexhandrya! Alexhandrya!" J cried, Alex's eyes widening.

"I know, J. I recognize tha' call an' tha' voice anywhere…" Alex murmured, the roar sounding again. Once more, everyone cried out and covered their ears in pain.

"**KIIILLLL!! HEHEHE…**" The voice broke out into high-pitched laughter, Alex shaking her head.

"'E must be th'reason we ended up 'ere in the first place. But I thought 'e died, dinnit 'e?" Alex looked at J, the Mierbluk shrugging softly. The man in red walked over to Alex, peering out through the window to see just what was out there.

A most frightening display of slaughter awaited the red-wearing gunman on the other side of the broken window. A few corpses lay sprawled throughout the city, one of which was the rather familiar preacher in navy blue (whether or not he was dead was unable to be told, but he was definitely unconscious at least). A man in a denim vest and dark colored jeans lay on the ground as well, next to a man in black, the red-coated gunman identifying both of them as Brad and his sensei.

Perched on the side of the sand steamer was a gargantuan blood-red scaled lizard, even larger wings spread out to give the beast a more frightening appearance. Large fins sprouted from the sides of its head, a large black horn on the top left side of its head. A chain hung around the end of the horn, a black gem swinging at the end of the chain. The right horn of the beast seemed to have been broken off, being nothing more than a small black bump at the top right of its head. Large spikes jutted out from under its chin and off of its shoulders, plate-like spikes lined up in twos going down its back. Its chest was colored silver, and in the fin on the left side of its head were silver loop earrings all held together by a small silver chain. A long tongue lolled from the side of the creature's mouth, a pair of unblinking golden eyes staring out at its surroundings. Over each eye were spikes, and instead of normal pupils, the creature had hourglasses in their place. Black blood ran from its eyes, nose, and mouth, dripping from its face and giving it an even more gruesome outlook. Its tail swung behind it, on the end of it a fin like a killer whale.

"Wh-what is that thing..? Why did it kill all those people!?" The man asked, looking to Alex for answers. The girl was frightened at least a little, as she didn't quite know how to answer the gunman, unsure of if he were a friend or foe.

"Don't talk to a lady like that you rude, rude… man! You should introduce yourself at least!" J frowned, crossing the claws on its wings.

"I think introductions are a bit unnecessary at th'moment, J. Wot the bloody 'ell is Kryptik doin' 'ere!? Damnit! Why does nothin' make any sense!?" Alex held her head and slowly sunk to the floor, attempting to wrack her brain and figure out how exactly she ended up here. No memory was recalled, nothing at all… but wait… there was a faint glimmer of a bright portal opening up and that creature, Kryptik… he was hovering over her, his sword-like fangs glistening with his own black blood.

"…I can tell you're not from here, so I can trust you with my name, if it's so important. I'm Vash." The gunman said, Alex looking up at him. She saw the deepest sincerity in his eyes, something she hadn't seen in the longest time.

"Th' answer to y'question is… tha' thing out there is somethin' called a Dragon Raider. From my home planet… those things tried killin' the Dragons an' moreover, my people, the Dragonoids. That particular one, however, is loony. 'E had an encounter with the god of time, Chronos--, which isn't supposed t'happen. 'E's supposed t'be dead, but 'e got away, the nasty lil' bugger, an' now 'e's tryin' t'kill me, I think. An' no, m'not from around 'ere, an' neither is J, but I think Kryptik had somethin' t'do with why I'm 'ere an' not back home." Alex explained, seeming a bit pained as she brought up the fact that that beast out there was out there trying to kill her.

_--My books use the Greek/Roman gods, however the stories/myths don't exist in my books, just the gods._

"I can't say I quite understand all of that, but one thing is for sure… that… whatever that is, he killed all those people for no reason, and I can't let him get away with it." Vash said simply.

"Um, Alex…" J whimpered softly.

"Not now, J, we gotta figure out a way t'get loony bin out there." Alex waved her hand to her friend, getting back to her feet.

"B-but Alex…" J whimpered again, this time a bit more urgently.

"Not now, J!" Alex shouted.

"ALEX! SNAAAAAKE! SNAAAAAKE! OHHHH IT'S A SNAAAAKE!" J screeched, flying up into the air as a snake lashed up to bite her. Alex cried out in alarm as she backed up against the wall, various snakes slithering out from the luggage. A few even lay on the two unconscious men on the floor of the sand steamer, Vash's right hand twitching towards his gun.

"M'not sure whether t'continue that song or stand really, really still so I don' get all these snakes on me…" Alex spoke slowly, moving just as slowly as she spoke.

"J doesn't see Kryptik anymore at least… J thinks we are safe for the most part." J said.

"Safe!? We go' snakes all over us!" Alex shouted at J, one of the snakes being alarmed by this sudden rise in volume and lashing out towards Alex. It sank its fangs deep into Alex's ankle, Alex screaming in agony as she went to rip the scaled creature from her leg. Vash grabbed his gun and shot the snake, the others growing alarmed now and beginning to go after him.

"J will save you!" J flew in front of Vash and spread its wings, a small turquoise wall of energy forming in front of the both of them. The snakes collided with it, soon evaporating into black smoke. Alex slumped to the floor, soon falling over to her side as she shuddered softly.

"You're all under arrest! Put your hands up!"

That voice was nothing more but an addition to what was already wrong. Vash turned, slightly panicked, and he dropped his gun to surrender his freedom with a thrust of his hands into the air. J squeaked, landing on the ground and looking up at the sheriff, a few other officers stepping out with handcuffs ready for everyone in the room. A few groans sounded, some men getting up out of the sea of luggage and holding their hands up in a surrendering notion. Alex still lay on the floor, showing little signs of even living, her breathing rather shallow.

J's eyes glowed for a moment, and Alex slowly came to as if nothing happened, her bass that had landed on her earlier dissipating into thin air. Everyone in the room was put in cuffs, and everyone was escorted off of the sand steamer. Alex half expected to see the massacre outside, and everyone's shocked expressions, but much to her surprise and relief everyone was perfectly fine and Kryptik was nowhere in sight. He left no evidence behind that he had even been there, not even the shattered glass, and so Alex simply shook her head. Brad simply watched as the police took Vash and the others away, furrowing a brow as he saw J and Alex.

_What… just happened..? Fifteen people arrested… and what is that creature..?_ Brad watched as the sheriff took those responsible for the hijacking of the Mubra and the two who were merely caught in the crossfire towards the police vehicle that would transport them to the jail.

"I don't understand," Brad frowned deeply. "What was the point of all that? It makes no sense, sensei!" The elderly man who was Vash's sensei only smiled.

"It was to keep this incident from leading to blood-shed." The sensei answered simply.

"I get that, but… why put himself in danger, just to come out of it a wreck like that?" Brad asked, utterly confused by Vash's actions.

"Ah, you. What if I had gotten caught in there? Would you save me?" The sensei looked to Brad, whom was taken aback by shock that his sensei would ask such a thing.

"Of course I would. We're kin." Brad replied without thinking.

"Well, it's exactly the same. But Vash the Stampede's idea of 'kin' stretches far beyond the norm. It must be a great, painful burden, for one so long-lived. Well… let's go." The sensei turned and began to walk away, Brad blinking.

"Eh? What? We're gonna leave him!?" Brad was shocked yet again.

"Our work here is done," the sensei peeked over his shoulder at Brad. "Don't worry. He'll wriggle out of his predicament somehow." And with that, the sensei began to walk again, Brad shrugging and following him.

As night fell, Alex's condition seemed to improve further; it was almost as if that snake hadn't bitten her at all. Vash sat leaned against the wall as the man who had been jamming the gun in the other's face lay on the bench and slept. They found out that his name was Shidan. Alex was lying on the floor and gazing up at the ceiling as J floated about on a light blue cloud. It hummed to itself merrily, as if the stench of the jail cell and the dampness of sweat didn't get to it at all. Alex sighed and sat up, gazing out of the barred window at the two moons outside; one moon had a large crater carved into it, and it had a rusted crimson look to it.

"You said you came from another planet, right?" Vash asked, his curiosity piquing.

"Mmhmm… 'M originally from Elipsia, but I spent most of me life on Earth," Alex answered. "Wot about you, love?" Vash seemed to think a moment, soon shaking his head in an answer.

"Alex thinks the Vash-kun is attractive!" J giggled as it fluttered by, Alex snatching it out of the air.

"Keep y'mouth shut, J! 'E looks like th'type who's go' ladies crawlin' all over 'im anyway! When he's not in jail, that is." Alex released her friend. She crossed her arms and pouted slightly, a light blush on her cheeks. Vash blinked and then chuckled softly, J making faces at Alex.

"Ha! Y'look be'er when you smile, y'know." Alex sadi as she looked upa t Vash.

"Oh! Urm…" Vash scratched behind his head, looking away. Only once before had he been told something similar, and it was by that same preacher that was seen standing in the crowd of people who had looked to be dead.

"Tha's where y'say, 'Thanks, deary.' I's okay, m'goin' out on a limb 'ere anyway… I don' normally tell people that, I jus' feel like you're th'type who won't find me too odd in sayin' that." Alex laughed softly.

"Thanks, deary," Vash smiled as he tried to mock Alex's accent. "Where on Earth were you from, anyway? I've never heard your accent before."

"I wos from Bristol, England. I was there so long I sorta picked up on th'accent. An' if this isn't Earth, wot is it?" Alex asked.

"This is a planet called Gunsmoke--." Vash replied. His answer was rather short and to the point, so Alex figured she would try prying.

_--Yasuhiro Nightow stated in his little notes at the end of Trigun Maximum book four that the difference between the manga and the anime is that in the anime the planet is called Gunsmoke. I don't recall him mentioning the actual name of the planet in his books, so I'm using the anime's name for the planet._

"Wot's y'story? I mean, you can't possibly have wound up in a situation like th'one you were in on tha'… oh, wot's i' called?" Alex held a hand to her chin as she tried to think back to when she heard the name of the vehicle they appeared on.

"It was the sand steamer Mubra." J squeaked matter-of-factly.

"Aye, the sand steamer Mu--wait, wot do you know? I dinnit even know it had a name." Alex's eyebrow rose on her face, Vash blinking. J's cloud disappeared from beneath it and it landed on Vash's knee.

"J remembers this! Princess Saiyaknight was reading this book, remember? And… and… something about Rem and red geraniums… oh, J's head hurts." The tiny Mierbluk held its head as Vash's eyes widened slightly. Oh, yes! This was Trigun! Saiya always bothered Alex about reading this Japanese "manga," because she'd become an "otaku" due to the girls at school who loved this stuff.

"Vash the Stampede! An' your brother was Knives! You're tryin' t'stop 'im an' there's twelve assassins after you called the Gung-ho Guns! I remember Saiya tryin' t'get me to read those books." Alex snapped her fingers as she grew excited at remembering something. Although, as she remembered this, a searing pain shot through her head and she crumpled up into a ball. Vash and J rushed over to her side, Vash unsure of whether to be alarmed that Alex knew this type of information or to be alarmed that she had fallen weak to some type of pain in her head.

"Oi, me 'ead… M'all right, Vash. Don' go gettin' own hea din a tizzy." Alex slowly sat back up, a bit pale from the pain.

"Mr. Vash, sir, we have to go with you. J is afraid that maybe Kryptik formed a pact with Knives and that's why we're he--eek!" J squeaked as Alex grabbed it and soon put her hand around its muzzle.

"Quiet, J. Why would Kryptik do something' like 'at for when 'e can barely think for 'imself? 'E prolly thought i' in good taste to put us 'ere, since Saiya likes readin' these books." Alex sighed softly, J beginning to wriggle in her hands.

"I think your friend is onto something… but I can't involve you in my affairs. It's too dangerous." Vash frowned.

"I understand, lovey. I think we can go our separate ways soon as we're out of 'ere, aye?" Alex smiled. Vash nodded in agreement, J still struggling in Alex's hands. It then proceeded to bite Alex's hand, the poor girl yelping and letting it go.

"Wot in bloody 'ell is your problem!?" Alex cried, quite aggravated.

"For one, J is following Vash, because J thinks we should! For two, J hears something!" J barked, its eyes twitching slightly.

Alex blinked and tilted her head to the side to listen and see if J was actually right about the sound. It was a low rumbling sound, like a vehicle of some sort, and it grew louder as it came closer. Alex blinked, soon leaping from the spot and landing in front of Vash, J, and Shidan, holding her arms out as there was a large explosion in the wall.

"EEK! ALEXHANDRYA!"

**Gyphie's Note:**

**Congratulations! You have somehow managed to choke your way through the first chapter of my first successful Trigun fic since… I was like thirteen. Well, I wrote one chapter of one not too long ago, but then scrapped it because I changed the plot of my trilogy to where Saiya couldn't come to Gunsmoke… lawlipops (Saiya was mentioned in this chapter as Princess Saiyaknight btw, she just goes by Saiya for short). So I chose Alex, mostly because I still need "training" with her accent, if you couldn't tell. Woot. But if her accent becomes a problem, Alex can also revert to "American" accent, so people can understand her better. And I chose Kryptik as the bad guy because I need to work out the kinks in his personality… as it changes after the trilogy I'm writing. ;x I promise it'll make sense, just bear with me! Stick around for the next chapter, if you wanna deal with my bad writing! 8D**


	2. Samurai Showdown

**Gyphie's Note:**

**Oh look, you don't have to wait long at all for chapter two! Yeah, I was planning to have two chapters written to put up on the site to hopefully help you guys believe that I don't take forever to update. It's just I lose ideas and inspiration quickly, and, well, I have the inspiration of Vash to keep me going! -Thumbs up- I hope you guys don't kill me. D:**

**DISCLAIMER: Same one as in chapter one. -Thumbs up-**

**Chapter Two**

**Samurai Showdown**

"Alexhandrya!!" J cried, moving its wing to observe the pile of debris for its companion. While looking, it couldn't help but see the same clergyman from earlier that day, only now he had a large cross gun and he was riding a motorcycle.

"Wolfwood! You just blew up my friend!" Vash exclaimed, the man on the bench staring wide-eyed at what had just happened.

"No time for that, spikey, we gotta go. You too." The man named Wolfwood looked to Shidan, but was soon kicked in the head by a large, clawed rabbit's foot.

"You hurt Alexhandrya you punk!" The little Mierbluk was now a considerably larger version of itself, spikes running down its back and tail and the triangular shape of flesh on the end of its tail being engulfed by spikes. The creature now had a woman's voice, and its fangs extended around an inch below its chin. Its chest swelled like breasts, a large tuft of fur covering between its legs.

"What the hell is that thing!?" Wolfwood cried.

"A Mierbluk," Vash answered. "It's going to be traveling with us." J smiled at Vash, happy to know that it had won its argument.

"J is a female Mierbluk, by th'way…" a muffled voice came from the rubble, Wolfwood arching a brow. "An' we're goin' with you t'see Knives. No arguments, otherwise J might rip y'a new one." Alex shoved some of the debris aside, getting to her feet as Wolfwood stared, appalled.

"What are you..?" Wolfwood asked.

"Y'know, I'm a bit tired of tha' question… Th'name's Alexhandrya. Look, we be'er get out of 'ere, otherwise we're gonna get the coppers on us. Oww…" Alex bent down and held her leg, having been cut by some of the debris.

"Here, get in, and you on the back." Wolfwood ushered Alex to the motorcycle, sitting her down in the side car. He then put his cross on the back of his motorcycle and got on, the other man climbing on behind him.

"I'll take Vash-kun!" J smiled, Wolfwood nodding and pulling out of the jail cell. As Wolfwood drove off, he tossed Vash his gun, the gunman catching it and putting it in the holster at his hip. J turned her back to him, lowering herself for him to climb on.

"Come on, I'll put my spikes away." J said, the spikes in her back sinking into her fur. Vash hesitated for a moment, but at the sound of yelling, he sprang onto J's back and clung to her neck, J taking off after Wolfwood.

A few gunshots were fired after the Mierbluk, but she managed to pull off a few maneuvers and escaped unscathed. Vash was a bit amazed, still clutching J's neck fur as he peered over her shoulder at Wolfwood. The view from where he sat was magnificent, Vash able to see all the lights of the city below, sparkling in their bittersweet beauty. The flickering lights represented the human will to keep pushing and living through the tough times this planet had to offer. Although the harshness of this planet has dried up their hearts, there still had to be some hope, and those flickering lights were proof of that.

The rather small group reached the outskirts of town, Wolfwood stopping to let Shidan off. J blinked and circled around, dropping in altitude towards Wolfwood and Alex. She landed next to them and let Vash off of her back. Shidan said his farewells and went on his way, Wolfwood turning his motorcycle off.

"W-wot'd y'go an' do tha' for? Aren't we leavin'?" Alex asked.

"Not with your leg bleeding like that I'm not." Wolfwood motioned to Alex's leg, which was already dripping with blood.

"I's a lil' scratch, that's all. Nothin' t'get upset over, love." Alex looked away, crossing her arms. Wolfwood glared at Vash, who held his hands up.

"_You_ wanted to bring her, _you_ fix her." Wolfwood commanded.

"Okay, okay… I'm only taking her because she knows about Knives. That and I can't just leave a pretty lady behind." Vash said as he walked over to Alex. He picked her up out of the side car and sat her on the motorcycle, J growing a bit defensive by this action. Vash examined Alex's leg for a moment, sighing softly as he pulled his gauze and medical tape out of a hidden pocket on his trench coat.

"Either you're going to have to take off your pants or I have to cut the--" J slammed her foot into Vash's head, growling.

"You big pervert! How dare you ask a lady to do such a thing! I should kick your a--"

"J! You want 'im t'fix my leg or not!?" J looked down at Vash, who was now twitching on the ground, and she slowly removed her foot. "Now, let me change into something' a bi' more manageable." J nodded and her eyes began to glow, Alex hopping off of the motorcycle.

The woman disappeared in a large puff of smoke, soon to reappear in a different set of clothing. She still wore her jacket, but now she had a different colored arm sock. It ran from violet to red, all the colors of the rainbow, down her forearm, and she now wore a skirt that matched. Her tank top belly shirt was now plain white and her chucks were now rainbow colored. Around her neck was a silver studded black choker, and from her back hung her bass from the sand steamer. She grunted slightly as she put weight on her right leg, Vash catching her and picking her up.

"What the hell was that!?" Wolfwood asked, Vash sitting Alex on the motorcycle.

"I really hate wearing pants in hot weather. Besides, this is much easier to move around in and I don't look quite so drab and depressing." Alex said, her English accent missing as she smiled softly.

"What happened to your accent..?" Vash asked as he began to dress up Alex's wound.

"Alex and I lived in America quite some time, too; so Alex can use either accent." J replied happily. She soon shrank to her miniaturized version, Wolfwood taking a cigarette out of his pocket and lighting it with a match. He soon waved the match out and dropped it to the ground, inhaling the toxic cigarette smoke.

"I c'n use th'otha accent if y'want." Alex smiled, her smile fading as she gasped in pain. Vash apologized as he finished dressing her wound, J landing on Alex's shoulder and grabbing on with her thumb and index claws. The wings on her head twitched as Vash returned his medical supplies to his coat, Wolfwood puffing out a cloud of smoke.

"Done playing doctor?" Wolfwood asked. Vash nodded in response. "Good, we need to get moving to Tonim Town." Wolfwood put out his cigarette between his thumb and index finger, Alex getting off of the motorcycle.

"J, go big again, we gotta go." Alex said, J hopping off her shoulder. She muttered silently to herself as she grew to her larger self, Alex climbing onto her back. Vash and Wolfwood got on the motorcycle, the two men starting off. J took off into the sky and followed Wolfwood overhead.

--

The suns glared brightly in the sky, and Alex clung to J a bit tiredly, having stayed up all night. She gazed out at the sea of sand, wondering exactly what she had gotten herself into. How had she, yet again, stepped into a mess as big as this one? Her thoughts were interrupted as a sound caught her attention, the sound of huge quantities of sand being pushed aside. IN curiosity, Alex began to search for the source of the sound, spotting what she assumed to be a sandworm moving off in the distance. It appeared to be heading to the same destination as her and the others. As she continued to study the sandworm, she saw three figures riding it. Alex blinked, and the sandworm and its passengers were erased in sandy clouds.

J began to swoop around in a circle, like a vulture hunting prey, and she began to descend to the ground. Wolfwood had dismounted his motorcycle and was now carrying his covered cross, Vash hopping out of the side car. The two men soon started walking, Alex looking from them to the desolate town of which they headed. She held a hand to her face, covering her mouth as if she were about to be sick to her stomach, the condition of the town being sickening to her. It looked as if everyone had evaporated into thin air, a small gust of wind kicking up large clouds of dust. A small red ball rolled across the street and over a half played game of tic-tac-toe, the tic-tac-toe board nearly erased. Unfinished glasses sat on a tabletop with a partial game of chess left unfinished as well. There was knitting left undone, and clothes still in a basket, half hung. It was a gruesome sight to behold, and Alex hid her face in J's neck.

Vash stopped abruptly, his eyes set on a stone monument in the center of the town square. Written on the stone in red was the name Knives, a large cloud of dust floating just below the name. As the dust cleared, it revealed a man dressed in white, his clothing resembling that of a samurai without armor. He seemed to be waiting for Vash, the man watching Vash with intense golden-brown eyes. In his mouth was a long toothpick, the man's dark hair pulled back in a long pony tail which reached well below his lower back. As J headed down to land, Alex spotted someone else on the top of the monument, Alex gasping in horror.

A Dragon Raider was now perched on top of the monument, various swords and daggers strapped all over his body. His scales were a silver-white color, his wings black and his eyes the same color as the samurai's. A loincloth was hung in front, the Dragon Raider's tail covered in shards of glass and broken weaponry. He smirked, Alex dismounting J beside of Vash.

"For the second time, we meet. My name is Rai-dei. Gung-Ho Guns, number nine. Rai-dei, the Blade." The man introduced himself. Vash soon remembered where he had seen such odd clothing and pressed the palms of his hands together, bowing slightly at the waist.

"Ko-konnichiwa," Vash stuttered, attempting to pronounce the foreign Japanese correctly--. "Gung-Ho Guns… so, does this mean the killing game is still on?"

_--Vash does this in the manga, so I assume they speak another language or form of Japanese that has evolved on the planet. Either way, that is my explanation of it._

"It does…" Rai-dei's attention was suddenly turned to Wolfwood, completely overlooking Alex and J. "It's you… very well… Whatever you are planning, you will _not _interfere with this death match. Either of them." Rai-dei then looked at Alex, who was taken aback slightly. So Rai-dei… knew about her? Did Kryptik make a pact with Knives after all?

"…?! Wha--?! Death match?! W-wait a minute, now. Count me outta this one!" Vash cried.

"I know all about your selfish ways… however, I am not here to play with you." Rai-dei moved into a battle stance, his hand ready to unsheathe his sword. The Dragon Raider hopped down off of the monument, smirking as he looked at Alex.

"And I'm sure you're familiar with me… I am the brother of Nekrosys, the element of undeath. My name is Dagger and your travels with Vash the Stampede are over." The Dragon Raider snarled, Wolfwood's eyes narrowing.

"You're not going to harm Alex and I'll be the first to assure that." J growled in response.

"A two in one deal… fantastic. Worry not, Rai-dei, they won't be interfering with your match." Dagger looked to Rai-dei, who nodded.

"Before we all go about killin' each otha, answer me this," Alex held her hands out as if to gesture everyone to stop everything. "Is General Dragien still alive?"

"He is not alive in this realm… The only concerns you should have are with me and Captain Kryptik. I'm sure as you've already figured out, him and Knives shook hands and I've been ordered to take you out. Get the picture?" Dagger reached for two katanas sheathed on his back, Alex frowning.

"Well, this is quite interestin'. I'll do y'biddin', y'damn dirty lizard. Jus' answer one las' thing f'me," Alex took a step forward. "Is Kryptik plannin' t'wipe out the human race again?" Dagger simply smiled at this and flexed his wings, J growing uneasy.

"How do you think him and Knives got to shake hands?" Dagger began to walk towards Alex, Vash watching him intently. "Enough questions, it's time for you to start praying to Mother Gaya--."

_--Mother Gaya is the goddess of Elipsia, like Gaia is Mother Earth._

Dagger let out a battle cry, charging at Alex as Rai-dei began to run towards Vash. Both reached their targets in astonishing times, Alex leaping up over the first katana and ducking under the second. The second katana grazed her right arm, Alex gritting her teeth as she stood on Dagger's sword. The Dragon Raider swung around and flung Alex towards the stone monument with Knives' name on it. Alex caught herself, landing on the monument with her feet and flipping off in front of it. She winced, her leg beginning to bleed again since hers and Wolfwood's encounter. At seeing this slight bit of pain, Dagger smirked, running towards his target again.

"_Drek_!" Alex cried, her eyes beginning to glow green. A small green vine split through the dusty ground and wrapped around Dagger's ankle, tripping him and causing him to lose one of his katanas.

"I thought this planet couldn't sustain plant life!" Dagger growled, slicing away the vine and getting to his feet.

"Well it sucks f'you that it does, now doesn't it?" Alex grinned, knowing now she had the upper hand against this lizard-like beast. Even if she was out of her element, she could still use it, as this planet had a few surprises in it that Alex didn't think possible. At first she had questioned herself whether or not this planet could sustain plant life, but now she had no doubt in her mind, and so now she knew she would win.

"_Ni hatch de xeratch ne_!" Alex thrust her hands into the air, small green bolts of lightning coursing up her body and stopping around her hands. A large polearm created from green energy formed in her hands, Alex drawing it down in front of her and aiming it at Dagger.

"Consider y'self blessed with the fact you're gonna be defeated on fair terms." Alex said, Dagger snorting as he prepared to charge again.

"Gooo Alexhandrya! You're the best!" J cheered, Dagger hurling a throwing star at her. It struck J directly in the right shoulder, the mierbluk shrieking in pain and collapsing to the dirt ground.

Alex growled as she ran at Dagger, the Dragon Raider doing the same thing. All the while, Wolfwood only watched, not sure of if he should do something or not. He knew Vash would win his match, as Vash won nearly every single match he was put in. That man, or whatever he was, was able to take on any challenge and win it, hands down. Alex, on the other hand, Wolfwood had no idea about. He hadn't even known half of what she was doing was possible, what with the vines and the energy polearm. It was as if all of this was nothing but a dream… That was until he felt a cold presence building up behind him, and felt ragged breathing on his ear. He was tempted to turn around, until he felt claws preventing him from doing so.

"Relax, Chapel… at least that's what they call you, aye?" The voice seemed to waver from a hoarse whisper to a type of low screech, causing chills to course along Wolfwood's spine.

"Who are you?" Wolfwood asked, watching as Alex was thrown across the town once again and Vash deflected Rai-dei's blade with gunshots.

"I am Kryptik… second in command of the Gung-ho Guns… and you would be wise to listen to me, Chapel. I've struck a deal with your master…" Kryptik spoke with a slight lisp, as if something was hanging from his mouth and kept him from speaking clearly. Wolfwood was tempted to turn around, but was still unable to.

"What do you want?" Wolfwood asked, almost as casually as one would ask how the weather was outside.

"I want you to take the girl along with you… no matter the cost. Knives and I have agreed we'd let her get attached to his brother Vash… the one in the red coat, I presume," Kryptik said. Wolfwood nodded, signifying that Vash was, indeed, Knives' brother. "It's all a part of his plan to make the wretch suffer. I would simply torture him, if I had my way, but things don't quite go as planned, now do they? Otherwise I wouldn't be here screwing with the original plot of Yasuhiro Nightow's greatest creations, now would I? This story will have a much more beautiful ending by the time I'm done with it, though." Kryptik cackled, causing Wolfwood to shiver. The gunshots stopped, and Wolfwood looked over to Vash and Rai-dei's match.

"Say something here, Wolfwood!" Vash cried, looking over at Wolfwood. The priest no longer felt the claws on his back, but rather now his cross was pressed heavily against it.

"Ah, no… it wouldn't be prudent for a bystander to interfere in this ludicrous fight." Wolfwood waved a hand as if to show he was neutral in the goings on, Vash sighing.

"I'll get you for this, you terrorist priest!" Vash shouted. As soon as Vash's attention was turned back to Rai-dei, Wolfwood felt the presence behind him again, his cross no longer there.

"Quite a nuisance, that one. And so alike he is with the girl. Either way, I've not come here to compare two morons… I'm here to let you know that the girl with the English accent… what was her name again..? Ah yes, Alex… she is to be killed. At no point should you try to save her… this fight she will win, for Dagger is a weakling, but the next few should at least give her a run for her money, so to speak." Kryptik seemed to smirk now, Wolfwood wishing this creature would just go away and leave him be to watch both fights.

"What is your purpose in coming here in the first place? And what were you meaning by Yasuhiro Nightow's greatest creation?" Wolfwood asked, furrowing a brow.

"Ah, back a few centuries ago there was a Japanese comic book artist… he made a series one of my arch enemies enjoyed reading, which was titled _Trigun_. It seems he was a bit of a prophet, as all of this is real… now that I've put my claws into it. My purpose is to destroy the human race… and seeing as my goal and Knives' were the same… we decided to make a deal. Although, I'm not allowed to harm the trench coat wearer, but I am allowed to do as I please with Alex… I wish to torture her before I kill her, however, and so it was requested of you to take her along in your journey… I am aware that Knives has a special plan for you." Kryptik explained himself further. Wolfwood still didn't like his tone of voice, still shivering slightly at the sound of it.

"So all I have to do is add her to my list of things to do… What the hell are you and her and that… creature out there?" Wolfwood quizzed Kryptik, the Dragon Raider laughing.

"We are all from a planet called Elipsia… one far away from Gunsmoke. I am a Dragon Raider corrupted by the god Chronos and I am currently leading the band of dragon hybrids known as Dragon Raiders. Alexhandrya is the daughter of Goddess Gaya of Elipsia, and was to be born a Dragon Raider… That was changed by Goddess Gaya, because the wench decided she would not have her daughter face the trials and tribulations our people have faced. She is a Dragonoid, which is like a half-human, half-dragon creature, although a human didn't mate with a dragon. They were created that way by Goddess Gaya." Kryptik said.

"I'll try to pretend I fully understand." Wolfwood said in return, jumping slightly as one of Dagger's wings slid in front of him and stopped. He looked up, seeing Alex falling from the sky, Dagger attempting to grab her in his claws while roaring in agony at the loss of his limb. Alex crashed through the roof of a porch, falling down onto a table and upsetting the contents on top of it. The chessboard and glasses of water on top flew out into the street, Dagger landing in the street and clutching the nub that was once his wing.

"I must take leave now. We will meet again, Chapel, although I'm not quite sure when. That much is up to you and Vash the Stampede. I'll take care of this worm now…" Kryptik sprang over Wolfwood's shoulder, everyone freezing to watch the giant beast run over towards Dagger.

"Master Kryptik, I-I-I…" Dagger stared up in fear at Kryptik, black blood dripping down from Kryptik's face down onto the disabled Dragon Raider.

"'I-I-I-I,' you poor dear, you've forgotten how to speak. You've failed me, that's what you've done! And so you shall die a more humiliating death than your brother suffered!" Kryptik roared, Alex's eyes widening.

"No! I won't let you kill 'im you bastard!" Alex shouted. Wolfwood now began to see what Kryptik meant by how similar Alex and Vash truly were, merely standing by and watching as Kryptik's jaws opened and extended to an amazing size.

Dagger shrieked in terror as Kryptik swallowed him whole, Kryptik twitching his neck as if to perform the finishing touch on Dagger. His mouth returned to normal size, Alex holding her hands over her mouth as if she were going to be sick. Just as Kryptik faded into a black mist, Rai-dei began to run towards Vash, attempting to kill him now that Vash was distracted. Wolfwood pulled out his handgun and shot Rai-dei in the head, Vash whirling around just in time to see the samurai's corpse go flailing onto the ground, his katana clattering away. Vash turned to face Wolfwood, completely shocked at what happened.

"WOLFWOOD! Why did you kill him!?" Vash demanded, J slowly getting up to look at Wolfwood.

"If I hadn't shot him, he would have killed you. Underestimating the Gung-ho Guns… you really are too naïve." Wolfwood frowned. He couldn't believe that Vash was still trying to shoot to disable rather than to kill, and now he had another Vash to deal with as Alex didn't fight to kill either. The both of them were virtually useless to him, and it seemed he would have to take care of the finishing blows on either enemy they ran across.

"You're wrong," Vash said. "The blade's still in its original position… he wouldn't have pulled the trigger." Wolfwood was now severely pissed.

"Don't screw with me, blockhead! You're saying he wouldn't have shot at you?!" Wolfwood shouted. J cringed at this, turning her head away as Alex still sat on the porch, holding her hands over her mouth.

"I don't know!" Vash cried. "Maybe he would have fired, but I would have just dodged! No matter how many times I'd have to! It's better than killing him and taking away his chance to stop!" Wolfwood walked over to Vash and punched him in the face, Alex gasping in shock.

"Give it a rest, will ya?! Damn hypocrite! Spikey, you're a slick one. You talk of saving everyone, but you don't wanna get your own hands dirty." Wolfwood glared at Vash, hate seething through his veins. He grabbed Vash's gun hand and pointed it into his eye, Vash staring at him in somewhat horror. "Shoot. If you really believe I'm wrong, pull the trigger. In return, my role as the devil will be handed over to you. That way, you won't hesitate to take out the next man who gets in your way. It's a small price to pay. If it brings something like that out of ya… I'll trade my life."

There was a silence between the two men and a stare that would freeze ice, Alex and J watching intently. Would Vash pull the trigger? How could he when he was so upset that Wolfwood had shot and killed Rai-dei, despite the fact Rai-dei was going to pull a fast one on Vash..?

"Can't do it, can ya? Chickenshit." Wolfwood looked away, Vash still staring at him.

"You are the coward here, Wolfwood," Vash said, his stare softening into a look of utter sadness. "No matter what you do, you give it up so easily."

"You're the one who doesn't know when to give up! What are you saying, looking so mad? You that afraid to trust someone?" Wolfwood asked, completely appalled by what Vash had said.

"You told me back when that my face looked better with a real smile. If you could see yourself through my eyes now… you'd see a man forcing himself to play the devil while his own heart cries out," Vash said. "I can see it clearly in this wind…"

**Gyphie's Note:**

**Yeah I know, it took a while to post this one up. I got a writer's block right in the smack dab middle of writing the damn thing and I had to figure out a way to end it. I think I did okay… I hope I did… No one's even reading it, I'm writing it for my own fun anyway. Or at least no one's reviewing. Oh well. I hope whoever **_**might**_**, but probably isn't, reading this enjoyed it. The next couple of chapters won't be so serious… I like the comedic side of Trigun too, and I've decided to pan out the next bit in the manga to be a few days stay at the next stop. Either way, it'll prolly be up sooner than this chapter was! See you then.**


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